Chapter 208: The 'First' Duel

The fourth battalion is comprised of young men who are in their late twenties. All of them were in the Peak Heavenly Plain Realm, almost at the Heavenly Path Realm. In short, they're strong for their age. I never thought that there would be a group of youngsters who could be stronger than me in the near future. The Lower Plane is indeed relatively weaker than those in the Middle Plane.

"The fourth battalion is composed of the new recruits this year but they are a strong bunch. A lot of the leaders assigned to them came crawling to me on the next day, all beaten up. Their excuse is that their leader is not worthy to lead them to the battlefield." Luxor explained and based on his expression, I could tell that there was nothing he could do about it. "While all the other battalions are going no subjugation quests as zombie hunters, this battalion is stuck here, waiting for their leader."

"Why didn't you just let them pick their own leader?" Before I realized that I asked such an obvious question, it was already out my mouth.

"We tried, but none of them would step up. They said that they are incapable of leading their fellow men or something like that. They're looking for a leader that they could look up to." He continued.

"And then you were left of no other choice but to leave them here? Then when I came to this settlement, the reason you wanted to test my strength is to know whether I'm fit to be their leader or not?"

Luxor nodded guiltily. "They're all talented young men, but because of my shortcomings, I cannot bring out their full potential."

I don't know what anyone else would call this event but to me... this is a blessing in disguise, a baby dropped by a stork in front of my doorstep. These young men (technically, they're older than me but whatever) are all peak geniuses. With the right teachings and guidance, they can be the strongest force in the Middle Plane, or at least, in this Shelter. It was obvious why Luxor couldn't do a single thing for these guys. If they run amok the settlement, it's highly likely that they would destroy half or all of it.

"Now I know the gravity of the situation. With the way things are now, you want to utilize every single force you can wring out of the Settlement, right, Settlement Leader?"

"That's right, but if I can't even mobilize this talented group, then who knows what would happen to us in the near future. Please, vessel of the ancient mysterious power, lend us your strength and leadership." He cupped his hands as he respectfully bowed towards me. I didn't expect him to bow so easily like that.

Well, he's sincere, to say the least.

"Say no more, I'll try to do what I can. If I deem it hopeless, then you know I did my best." I confidently assured them as I walked towards the Fourth Battalion to greet them.

Something inside me warned me not to get closer to the group but I ignored it. It was probably just my gut instincts. The Fourth Battalion seemed like a normal group of soldiers who are sharing one barracks with each other. They all look normal in my eyes, but why is my body telling me to back down from them? I don't get it... that's why I continued to ignore the impulses I was having. Before I could reorganize my thoughts, I was already stepping towards their territory— a huge house with a poorly built fence to mark their territory.

The first one to see me was a dude with a buzz cut. He had a muscular and toned body which is akin to a wrestler and his thick eyebrows matched his especially big eyes with its black irises. He stood up as soon as he saw me stepping into their territory. After uttering a grunt, or something close to that sound, he stormed out of their barracks and stared at me straight in the eye. He then proceeded to walk as smoke came out of his nostrils.

"What are you doing here?! Outsiders are not allowed!" The man growled as he proudly placed a fist on his chest, thumping on it like a mad gorilla. "Oh, wait, Settlement Leader, a new recruit? He seemed younger than any of us. Where did he come from?"

The drastic change in his reaction was enough to amaze me. This guy is the unpredictable type.

"No, he won't be joining you. He'll be your new leader from now on." Luxor continued. "Yongrui, please introduce yourself."

I cupped my hands. "Greetings, I'm Tang Yongrui, Sect Master of the Tang Sect. I may not look it but I'm technically the person who saved the whole of Lower Plane. If you think that you're stronger than me, then go ahead and challenge me to a duel. I'll oblige."

My straightforward approach was enough to catch the man off-guard. "A leader? You're just twenty years old, aren't you? Or maybe younger than that... eighteen? sixteen?"

"I'm not inclined to tell you my age, just know that I have enough experience to properly lead you and the rest of the Fourth Battalion. As I said, if you want proof of my strength, you need only say it."

The man was a bit agitated, I'll tell you that. His mixed emotions were portrayed clearly on his face as he tried to gauge my cultivation level. But since I have enough control to properly hide most of it, he concluded that I was way weaker than he thought. I could see the shift in his expression as he looked down on me. "Don't mess with me, kid. You're only in the Transcendence Realm. A kid like you should still be sucking off milk from your mom's boobies. Go away before I lose my composure." The man shooed me with his hand.

"Unfortunately, both my parents are dead. Don't you think that was a bit disrespectful?" I asked.

"Wait... really? I'm sorry for saying that. In that case, just go away. This place is not for the likes of you. You're still young. You should enjoy your life at the fullest before becoming part of the army. Take this word from a senior." He continued.

"Didn't you hear what Settlement Leader told you? I'm here to lead you. If the entirety of the Fourth Battalion doesn't line up in front of me right now, I'll have no choice but to discipline you." I called out. "And don't just assume things, um, I don't know your name... "

"The name's Rutgard."

"Yes, don't just assume things, Rutgard. Right now, I'm currently hiding my real cultivation level from you."

"Don't kid yourself, kid. Fortunately for you, I'm a man with long patience. I won't get agitated over something so trivial."

"Are you chickening out? I told you, we can settle this with a duel, you, me... better yet, bring everyone in the Fourth Battalion with me and you attack me all at once."

"Hey, Yongrui, are you crazy? There's no way you could survive that! Even with your Space and Time Element, you can't possibly take on a bunch of Peak Heavenly Plain Realm cultivators. Even I'm not confident in fighting all of them at once."

"Space and Time Element? Interesting." Rutgard said underneath his breath. "Hey, guys! Come check this out. Someone's asking for a duel!"

"Oh, really?"

"Let me see, let me see."

"Who's fighting who?"

A few seconds later, every member of the Fourth Battalion was out of their barracks, wondering what the commotion was all about. Rutgard didn't waste any time explaining why I was there.

The warm welcome gradually turned into a sour one. Every Fourth Battalion member looked at me with contempt. It was obvious that they were against me being their leader. This Rutgard really is the witty one, I see. It was the right call to call him unpredictable. He's the very definition of the word.

"We don't want you here."

"Is this a kid?"

"Why is a kid assigned to be our leader?"

The Fourth Battalion cautiously approached me like a feral dog hunting its prey. I didn't feel the need to step back, however. I just stood there, unwavering. "If you want to drive me out of here, then come at me." I said. "You do know you can't drive me outof here with words, right? And also, attacking me all at once would prove that I'm worthy enough to be your leader. How's that?"

"Natalia, Zenith, you might want to step back a little bit."

After confirming that they did step back. I turned towards the Fourth Battalion as they prepared for their onslaught. First, the cultivators with physical elements charged at me as their bodies grew in size. In terms of rabid human hunting, they can be called a tank.

As for the next line, they were the damage dealers, those who are proficient in their natural elements. The last line of the formation were comprised of healers. At first glance, I could tell that they really are well-trained for combat.

"Come out, Astral Lion."